Joseph Jefferson Mansfield (February 9, 1861 – July 12, 1947) was a member of the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...

from the U.S. state of

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2020, it is the second-largest U.S. state by ...

from 1917 to 1947.

Biography

Mansfield was born on February 9, 1861. He was born in Wayne, West Virginia. However, when he was born this was still part of the state of

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth are ...

. He attended the public schools in West Virginia. In 1881 he moved to Texas, settling in the community of Alleyton. Here he worked in farm and railroad laboring jobs. In 1886, he was admitted to the bar. By this time he had relocated to Eagle Lake, Texas. This was a busy year for Mansfield, as he also organized two companies of the Texas National Guard. About this time he also began the first newspaper in Eagle Lake. Mansfield rose to the rank of captain in the National Guard. In 1889 he was elected

mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well ...

of Eagle Lake. In 1892 he became the county prosecutor of Colorado County where both Alleyton and Eagle Lake are located. From 1896 until 1916 he served as judge of Colorado County. Until 1910 this also made him the effective superintendent of schools for the county. He was elected to Congress as a Democrat in 1916. He served in Congress until his death at

Bethesda, Maryland Bethesda () is an unincorporated, census-designated place in southern Montgomery County, Maryland. It is located just northwest of Washington, D.C. It takes its name from a local church, the Bethesda Meeting House (1820, rebuilt 1849), which ...

on July 12, 1947. From the

Seventy-second Congress The 72nd United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, consisting of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C. from March 4, 1931 ...

until the

Seventy-ninth Congress The 79th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, composed of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, DC from January 3, 1945, ...

he served as chairman of the House Committee on Rivers and Harbors.

Mansfield Dam Mansfield Dam (formerly Marshall Ford Dam) is a dam located across a canyon at Marshall Ford on the Colorado River, northwest of Austin, Texas. The groundbreaking ceremony occurred on February 19, 1937, with United States Secretary of the Inter ...

is named after him.

Notes

External links

Nesbitt Memorial Library: Mansfield FamilyFlachmeier, W. A.: ''Mansfield, Joseph Jefferson''. In: Handbook of Texas Online
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mansfield, Joseph Jefferson 1861 births 1947 deaths American prosecutors County judges in Texas Mayors of places in Texas National Guard (United States) officers People from Eagle Lake, Texas People from Wayne County, West Virginia Texas lawyers Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Texas Military personnel from Texas

Biography

See also

Notes

External links